Mumbai Crime: Ex-Dog Sitter's Grudge Sparks ₹50 Lakh Heist In Andheri, Ends In Dramatic Rooftop-Mangrove Chase

Mumbai: A former employee’s betrayal, a 10-foot rooftop jump, and a chase through mangroves— this wasn’t a Bollywood script but the chain of events that led Amboli police to crack a Rs50.15 lakh burglary in Andheri (West). Four men have been arrested after a dramatic half-kilometre chase in Versova, with police recovering Rs31 lakh in stolen diamond and gold ornaments and electronic goods.

The mastermind is a 22- year-old dog-sitter who was allegedly nursing a grudge after being removed from the job. The complainant, JC Rodrigues, 65, a vintage car dealer, had left for Jaipur with his wife between February 7 and February 10 to book a palace for their son’s wedding. Little did he know that someone was watching his every move.

On February 10, Rodrigues’s employee Sunil Kamble grew suspicious when his duplicate key failed to open the first-floor flat at Teachers Colony. The door was locked from the inside. A locksmith later forced it open, revealing a ransacked bedroom, a cut window grille, and an empty cupboard. “My wife and I took a flight and arrived in Mumbai to find diamond and gold ornaments and electronic goods worth Rs50.15 lakh stolen,” Rodrigues stated in his FIR.

The police identified the accused as Suraj Pawar, 22, a former dog-sitter who had worked at Rodrigues's flat for seven months looking after his pet. After being removed from the job, Pawar allegedly plotted revenge. He roped in his brother Jaswant Pawar, 22, and two others, Surya Gounder, 22, a house-breaker rele - a sed from jail just 15 days earlier, and his aide Mudaliyar, 22. “Pawar befriended Gounder while visiting his brother in jail. He promised Gounder a 20% commission and kept detailed notes of Rodrigues's schedule—knowing one son worked abroad and the other stayed in New Delhi,” said the police.

Their trail led them to Gounder, hiding in Versova. When officers closed in, Gounder sprang into action, jumping off a 10-feet roof, dashing through mangroves, and racing toward Versova Jetty. But after a half-kilometre chase, police nabbed him. “We confirmed his involvement when we found Rodrigues's stolen watch in his possession,” the officer added. Mudaliyar’s arrest then led police to Gounder, and finally to the Pawar brothers. Police have so far recovered Rs31 lakh of the stolen valuables. All four accused remain in custody as investigations continue.

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